Heartshaped Marshmallows
by hikachu
Summary: Dlanor would tell herself that she defended her out of pity, but the truth was… that not even Dlanor herself understood it too well. AU; slight Erika/Dlanor; for TF-chan.


When meeting Furudo Erika for the first time, most people would have described her as polite, smart, brilliant. After spending no more than two hours in her company, those same people would have all agreed that she was absolutely ugly on the inside.

It happened with her teachers, her classmates, the boy and the girls from the cram school she attended, but as someone who loathed and deemed useless any kind of emotional bond, Erika didn't mind. She found her happiness in solving puzzles and excelling at school or – to be more precise – in proving that everyone else would never be as good as her.

Dlanor A. Knox was one of her classmates; a girl who looked twelve and was actually fifteen. Because she wasn't used to interacting with other people her age and preferred to focus on her duties, she often came off as blunt or cold, but her doll-like appearance coupled with her childish side had earned her quite a few fans, and the teachers liked her hardworking nature.

Even Dlanor, the heartless doll Dlanor, found Erika despicable. Maybe, it was only natural for her to dislike someone so sly and self-centered, given her strong sense of honor… and yet, it was for the same reason that she had felt compelled to help the other girl when their classmates attacked her, even if her efforts had always been rewarded with nothing more than a slap and harsh words.

Dlanor would tell herself that she defended her out of pity, but the truth was… that not even Dlanor herself understood it too well.

Everyone had been shocked when they had learned that Erika, of all people, had a boyfriend, and that he was one of the good-looking, popular boys in the drama club. Nobody found it weird, or surprising, when the two broke up right before Christmas, after almost a year. He must have regained his sanity, they thought, snickering.

Dlanor, who didn't really care for this kind of gossip, walked into Erika on her way home. She didn't know why she had to stop and ask: "Why did you break UP? Weren't you HAPPY?"

Erika turned around to look at her very slowly. Her gaze, and even her voice, were distant as she replied: "Happiness has nothing to do with it. Happiness alone isn't enough, anyway: it's just an illusion born from a lie – 'everything is perfect, everything is alright'. I only woke up from an illusion. I didn't lose anything."

The other frowned a little. "Why do you look so miserable THEN?"

Erika bit her lip; there was anger in her eyes. "Because I was a fool! And this is none of your business!"

"… … You are, without a doubt, bitter, _miss_ ERIKA. Why did you break up with HIM?" she asked again.

"Because I had evidence that I loved him, and that he loved me, but I had no evidence that he wasn't cheating on me!" she shouted. Some people stopped to stare at them. Dlanor looked unfazed.

"You are such a sad PERSON," was her reply after a minute or so of silence. She didn't try to fight back when Erika grabbed her hair and pulled.

"What can a heartless doll like you understand about this!"

This crying girl with a running nose and flushed cheeks was so different from the self-confident, smart Furudo Erika everybody knew.

"You are making a SPECTACLE." It was true and Dlanor didn't care, but she guessed that Erika would.

"Shut up!" and the crying turned into sobbing.

* * *

Dlanor hissed when she let go of the pot too quickly and a generous amount of hot chocolate flew onto the kitchen and her hand. The apron – a cute white apron with a cartoonish kitten decorating its front, which had been bought especially for her but never used – was already a mess. Not that the stove looked any better, she observed with a half-tired, half-defeated expression.

"What are we doing here?" Erika asked, tone high-pitched and annoyed.

"We are having hot CHOCOLATE," Dlanor explained as she put two mugs on the table. "Gertrude says it's a good remedy when you are disheartened or EXHAUSTED."

"I am perfectly fine!"

"… Please, be careful when you drink it, _miss_ ERIKA. It won't come off easily if it gets on your CLOTHES."

"Who do you think you're talking to? I'm not as clumsy as you! Besides—wha—what's this! Marshmallows? Heart-shaped marshmallows? Are you really that childish!"

Dlanor stared at her, confused. "I am still a KID. And marshmallows are SWEET. I like sweet THINGS."

Maybe Erika would have said something else, found another way to insult her, if she hadn't noticed the blisters on the other's hands.

"You are really clumsy, aren't you, Dlanor."

"I have never prepared hot chocolate BEFORE," she replied almost defensively. "It's too MESSY."

For some reason, Erika's expression softened.

"This is really pathetic of me, but… thank you for everything. Nobody has ever stood up for me."

"… … … I just thought it was UNFAIR. Because you were alone and—"

"It's alright, it's more than enough for me." A pause. "It won't change me, but I'm grateful for today too."

"_Miss_ Erika… May I ask why are you telling me THIS? Aren't you afraid that I will use this information to my advantage and betray you TOO?"

A rather long pause followed her question. The silence was awkward. Slowly, Erika smirked.

"Well… Someone like you is too dead inside to even think of something like that," – this was the easiest and the only way she could say it.

Then she waited in silence for a reaction, but Dlanor didn't even blink: leisurely, as if she were alone, the tiny girl drank her hot chocolate (a thick drop of the sweet syrup fell onto her skirt – Gertrude was surely going to scold her for it) and licked her lips in a childish manner in a vain attempt to clean her mouth and chin.

Feeling ignored, Erika literally threw a napkin in her face. "Clean yourself!"

Dlanor did so distractedly, all the while staring – disappointedly – at the bottom of the now empty mug. She didn't really want to get up and make more chocolate – as a kid, she shouldn't even use the stove, after all.

She finally raised her gaze when the other was just about to pull her hair again or pinch her arm out of anger.

"Didn't you say that you needed another member to start your detective CLUB?" There was her answer. _I like you too_.

Erika's eyes widened—for a brief moment she almost lost her composure; _almost_, because she didn't in the end, and just smiled.

For the first time since they had met, Dlanor did too. She had found something to protect.


End file.
